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Statement issued by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, Most Rev. Kevin McDonald, Archbishop of Southwark and Rt. Rev Thomas McMahon, Bishop of Brentwood, following the publication of ‘The Ground of Justice’ report by the Von Hugel Institute, Cambridge.

“London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, home to migrant communities who have come to seek shelter from oppression and to improve their economic position.  Many of the new migrants to our city are Catholics, and their social, pastoral and spiritual needs are made manifest in our churches and parish communities.”

“In 2004, The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People made clear in ‘Erga migrantes caritas Christi - the love of Christ towards migrants’,  that the challenge confronting the world in today's migrations is a complex one  because of the many different spheres involved: economics, sociology, politics, health, culture and security. Rightly, it asked that all Christians respond to this challenge.”

“In May 2006, we commissioned the report, ‘The Ground of Justice’, to help the Catholic Church in London better understand the situation facing migrants in London. Amongst other findings, the report shows that Catholic migrants regard the Church as a refuge, a harbour of hope and worship where the Eucharistic feast is grounded in lived community.” 

“Migrants are very much the present reality of the Catholic Church in London and one of several sources of hope for the Catholic Church of the future too. In our view they are also a source of hope for the future of the nation.”

”Over the coming months, we will take time to reflect on the findings of ‘The Ground of Justice’ report and, together with others who are involved in this vital work, will seek to discern appropriate strategies for responding to the needs of our migrant communities. In the meantime let us all affirm that migrants and their families remain a pastoral priority in our own lives, in the life of the Catholic community and beyond.”